That is a pretty steep price ~ $12,000 per kWh, but then again it is a small volume, specialty option for a Porsche. Don't confuse the price with the cost of these batteries which is $600 - $900 per kWh.

The new Li-ion starter battery. Click to enlarge. Porsche will offer a lithium-ion starter battery option—the first automaker to do so—as of January 2010 for the 911 GT3, 911 GT 3 RS, and Boxster Spyder. Weighing less than 6 kg (13 lb), the new battery is more than 10 kg or 22 (lb) lighter th...

Henry,
The Imara cell is targeted at high-power applications. The Zebra battery, in addition to the operational challenge of operating at nearly 500 degrees F has approximately 150 W/kg power. This is not a feasible solution for hybrid and short range PHEV's which Imara is targeting. These vehicles are limited today by power capabilities of batteries. With Imara you get the cycle life of an A123 iron phosphate but without the huge sacrifice of energy density.
Thanks for you interest!
Neil

Energy Density vs. Power Density for the 18650HP1 Click to enlarge. Li-ion start-up Imara Corporation (earlier post) announced that its first 18650 high-power lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cells are now available. Imara is providing battery cells to customers in the power tool, outdoor...